Material transfer method and apparatus



Jan. 23, 1962 J. c. REIB 3,018,135

MATERIAL TRANSFER METHOD AND APPARATUS Filed OOb. 16, 1958 FIG. 1.

I K22 -47 54 F 2 33 30 \ksz -42 ATTOR NEY States Patent ice 3,018,135 MATERIAL TRANSFER METHOD AND APPARATUS John C. Reib, RD. 2, Franklin, Pa. Filed Oct. 16, 1958, Ser. No. 767,628 Claims. (Cl. 302-58) The present invention relates to a material transfer method and apparatus and more particularly to a novel suction type transfer method and apparatus for dry materials.

In transferring a mass of particles such as a dry plastics material from a shipping barrel or other receptacle to a processing point, vacuum type loaders are frequently employed to convey the material by suction from the receptacle into a suitable hopper. Where the material is of a fairly coarse nature, open-ended feed tubes within which suction is to be created can usually be moved through the material in the shipping receptacle by working them back and forth. Where, however, a fine or tightly packed material is to be conveyed, many times a feed tube cannot be forced by hand into the material and heretofore it has been necessary to drive the feed tubes into the material by means of a sledge or the like. Such procedure is not only time consuming but also many times results in deformation of the upper ends of the feed tubes frequently to such a degree that they must be replaced. Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a novel transfer method and apparatus wherein the above and other disadvantages of prior transfer methods and apparatus are obviated.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel material transfer method and apparatus wherein the need for disassembling parts of the transfer apparatus is minimized or eliminated.

It is yet a further object of the invention to provide an improved material transfer method and apparatus wherein a pressure differential is set up adjacent one end of a hollow feed tube to move the tube through a dry material of any degree of fineness.

It is a more specific object of the present invention to provide a novel material transfer arrangement comprising two hollow telescoping feed members the outer one being adapted to contact material to be conveyed and a means forming a passageway open to the atmosphere at one end and extending longitudinally of and adjacent the outer periphery of the latter member, with the result that when suction is created within the feed members the outer one is caused to move through the material.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following more detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with tthe attached drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation with parts in section showing the novel material transfer arrangement of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view partly in elevation and partly in section showing a. portion of my novel transfer arrangement;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view on a still larger scale taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIGURE 4 is a similar view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 4.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, there is indicated generally by reference numeral 1G a portion of a vacuum hopper loader having a vacuum chamber 12 closed at its lower end by a conventional flexible throat valve 14. Suction is applied to chamber 12 by conventional means, there being illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 a pump 16 driven by a motor 13. Since the details of these mechanisms form no part of the present invention it will suffice to say that pump 16 and motor 18 are of conventional types.

A feed conduit 20 which may be a permanent part of the vacuum loader is secured to chamber 12 by any suitable means such as connection 21. A further conduit 22 which is connected as by a collar 24 to the lower end of conduit 20 terminates adjacent the upper end of a telescoping feed assembly indicated generally 26. Feed assembly 26 comprises an inner tubular member 28 and an outer tubular member 30 which fits over member 28 in close telescoping relation. Member 30 may be locked in fixed relation to member 28 by means of a bayonet joint, the male member 32 being carried by member 28 and the female portion 33 being formed in member 30.

A further tubular member 36 of a larger diameter than and of a length substantially equal to member 30 is secured to that member at its lower end by welding 38 (FIG. 2), thus forming an annular air passage 40 between members 36 and 30. In a preferred embodiment of my invention weld 38 is continuous to completely close the lower end of the air passage 40, the resulting structure being that of a piston. As will be more fully developed hereinafter, weld 38 may however be in the form of circumferentially spaced spot welds, thus only partially to close the lower end of passage 40. Likewise the air passage 40 need not be annular, but may be formed by a single hollow member at one side of member 30 or by a series of elongated circumferentially spaced hollow members extending longitudinally along the outer periphery of member 30. Member 36 is desirably crimped adjacent its upper end at 42 to maintain it in a fixed position with respect to member 30 and a plurality of openings 44 are cut in member 30 for purposes hereinafter dealt with. While the hollow members 22, 2 8, 3!) and 36 are illustrated as being circular in cross section, it will be apparent that these members can also be of any desired polygonal cross section.

While my novel transfer assembly is illustrated in the drawings for conveying material M from a shipping barrel or other receptacle 46 to a point thereabove, it will be appreciated as the description further unfolds that the invention is not limited to transfer in a vertical plane but that it has equal application in transferring materials in other planes.

The lower end of tubular member 30 is cut on a slant to prevent the opening therethrough to be closed when the tube is moved to the closed end of receptacle 46, and with members 28 and 30 in collapsed position the lower end 48 of member 36 is positioned as shown in FIG. 1 adjacent the mass of material M to be transferred. The length of conduit 22 is selected to accommodate the distance from the upper end of receptacle 46 to the lower end of conduit 20. Conduit 22 is connected to the upper end of tubular member 28 by means of a collar 47. A set screw 54 may be threaded through a threaded aper ture in collar 47 to lock the latter in place.

When it is desired to transfer material by means of the illustrated loader, a barrel 46 of material is moved to a position under the feed assembly 26. Following prior practice it would then be necessary to detach the length of feed tube to be placed within the mass of material and then manually move the tube downwardly through the material as for example by pounding the top of the tube. As aforementioned, even where a protective collar was placed over the upper end of the feed tube, when the material to be transferred was of a fine and tightly packed nature the top of the feed tube many times became deformed to such a degree that it was difficult or impossible to reconnect it to the remainder of the feeding apparatus.

With my present invention, after a barrel of material 46 is positioned beneath the feed assembly 26, feed tube 30 is rotated to unlock the bayonet joint and then lowered relative to tube 28 until its open lower end engages the top of the mass of particles M to be transferred. Suction is next applied to the feed assembly to draw material therethrough. With a pressure differential set up between the lower end of tube 30 and the passage 40 between tubes 30 and 36, the atmospheric pressure acting on closed end 38 of passage 40 causes the tubes 30 and 36 to move through the mass of material M until the lower end 48 of tube 30 contacts the closed end of the receptacle 46 (FIG. 2).

As heretofore mentioned it may not be necessary to completely close the end of passage 40 as for example where the material being transferred is fairly coarse. As a matter of fact where tubes 28 and 30 are suspended vertically as is herein illustrated, the weight of tube 30 may be sufficient to cause it to move by gravity downwardly through the material. Where, however, the material being transferred is of an extremely fine and closely packed nature, and/or where the feed tubes lie in a generally horizontal plane, it is desirable to close the end of passage 40 to create as much surface area as possible for the pressure of the atmosphere to act. Thus I have in effect provided a piston, and a sufiicient force is produced by the action of the air at atmospheric pressure on the closed end of passage 40 to readily move the feed tube 30 through the material. An ample amount of air flows from space 40 through openings 44 in tube 30 to provide excellent breathing and material can rapidly be conveyed upwardly through the feed tubes into chamber 12. When barrel 46 has been emptied, outer tube 30 along with spaced tubular member 36 can be moved upwardly and locked by means of the joint 32, 33. A full barrel of material can then be moved into place under the feed assembly. Thus a minimum of time is consumed between the emptying of one barrel and the placing of a full barrel in position for unloading.

From the above description and illustrations it is apparent that I have provided an improved method of and apparatus for rapidly and etficiently transferring dry materials. It is further apparent that the feed apparatus including the feed tubes can be used indefinitely and that once the loader has been positioned, there are no parts of the transfer assembly to be uncoupled and recoupled. Further the necessity of driving feed tubes through a mass of material which results in damaged tubes is eliminated.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown for purposes of illustration and that the invention may be modified and embodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device for transferring particles from a mass thereof which comprises, a tubular first member, a second member having a tubular portion telescopically supported by said first member to move outwardly from one end of said first member, said second member having a passageway extending longitudinally therein, said passageway having an outlet at a location spaced longitudinally from the end of said second member which moves outwardly from said one end, said tubular portion having at least one opening therein connecting said passageway to the interior thereof, and said first member being securable to a suction source.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings connect said passageway to the interior of said tubular portion.

3. A device for transferring particles from a mass thereof which comprises, a tubular first member, a second member having a first tubular portion telescopically supported by said first member to move outwardly from one end of said first member, said second member having a second tubular portion rigidly supported laterally outwardly from and encompassing the greater portion of said first tubular portion, said first tubular portion having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings extending laterally therethrough connecting the space between said first and second tubular portions to the interior of said first tubular portion, and said first member being securable to a suction source.

4. A device for transferring particles from a mass thereof which comprises, a tubular first member, a second member having a first tubular portion telescopically supported by said first member to move outwardly from one end of said first member, said second'member having a second tubular portion spaced laterally outwardly from and encompassing the greater portion of said first tubular portion, said first tubular portion having a plurality of longitudinally spaced openings extending lateral- 1y therethrough connecting the space between said first and second tubular portions to the interior of said first tubular portion, said first and second tubular members being rigidly connected together at the end of said second tubular portion movable outwardly from said one end of said first member, and said first member being securable to a suction source.

5. A device as defined in claim 4 in whichsaid second tubular portion has additional means spaced from said rigid connection for supporting said tubular portion in spaced relationship with said first tubular portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 412,388 Hungerford Oct. 8, 1889 594,449 Weber Nov. 30, 1897 646,490 Deery Apr. 3, 1900 1,918,330 Green July 18, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,814 Great Britain Mar. 29, I915 

